Behaviors That Don't Mean What You Might Think

Fear? Aggression? Play?

This article is companion to my zoom chat with Jec Aristotle Ballou on 5/24/23. Behaviors That Don’t Mean What You Might Think Interpreting the meaning of a horse's behavior can be challenging for several reasons.
1. Many behaviors have multiple meanings.
2. As prey animals horses tend to hide pain and fear. Although horses' facial muscles allow for many varied expressions, researchers have described horses as having a "Poker Face" when feeling stressed.
3. Behavior is influenced by a horse's training and personal coping style. A horse who is quiet and obedient might be more stressed than one who is overtly attempting to escape or resist.
4. People are influenced by how other people define a behavior, especially if the other person is perceived as an authority. This is especially problematic when the "authority" defines behavior in terms of obedience (requiring correction) without considering the emotion or goal prompting the behavior. Rearing, for example, can signify fear, aggression, or play. My most constructive response depends on the emotion behind the behavior. Otherwise, I risk creating unnecessary problems, including danger to everyone who handles Brandy. If for example, Brandy was rearing because of fear, an aggressive reaction on my part would increase her fear, potentially provoking aggression that would be self-defense from her point of view. To interpret Bandy's behavior we look at:
1. Context: We were having a playful liberty session in which Brandy became particularly energetic. She trusts me, and has no history of rearing except in play. I know from experience that if I lower my head (a head-down cue she knows) she will come back to earth and put her head down. This shows both self-control and attention to me.
2. Body language: Ears are in "radar" mode, not pinned; facial expression and front legs are relaxed, not tense. She is pivoting AWAY from me on her right hind leg.
3. What she might be saying: "I am SO EXCITED!!! But I remember I am not supposed to rear too close to you." A harsh response from me would undermine Brandy's confidence and trust in me. Instead I use my remote "halt" cue to stop her from coming too close to me when she is excited.

Sometimes pain is obvious, and sometimes it isn't

Pain radiates from Bronzz's swollen eye and facial expression, but horses often hide or compensate for pain so it is not obvious. In that case we need to deduce that there is pain based on other behaviors. Changes in behavior can suggest pain, such as a horse who starts biting down on a lead rope when he is tied. "Laziness" is another red flag for pain. As Jec explains, moving is natural for horses; resisting movement is not. Our Shiloh's "laziness" was dismissed by several vets as behavioral before Vet #4 diagnosed Lyme disease. Pain can prompt horses to be "short-tempered" or aggressive, much as it does with people. Any horse who becomes aggressive should be carefully evaluated for pain.

Goat on a Rock - A pain posture

This is Brandy when she came to us at age 6. Her posture reflects pain: dropped back, high head, and legs slanted toward each other. X-rays showed premature arthritis in her spine, suggesting she was compensating for a soft tissue injury. Compensations showed in poor balance. She could not canter, and her gallop was a mad scramble with one lead in front and the other behind. Problems associated with balance are often mistaken for training or behavior issues: speeding up, slowing down, cutting corners, bucking, rushing or refusing jumps. Susan Harris (author of Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement) described balance as a much overlooked source of problems.

Depressed? Sleepy? Anxious?

It's easy to overlook the emotions of a horse who is quiet and well-behaved.
Context: The dentist has just arrived. Until then, Bronzz was at his stall door, cheerfully watching me to see if I was going to do anything interesting.
Body Language: If a horse spends long hours in a stall with his face in a corner, we should consider anxiety or depression. Bronzz's posture here is very specific to the arrival of dentist or vet.
What he might be saying: "Please go away." Problems often arise when anxiety is not taken into account. To see how we handled Bronzz's anxiety for a successful dental visit, see Recognize Anxiety Before It’s a Problem

Fatigue? Calming signal? Socially Facilitated Behavior?

Yawning is another example of needing context to understand the meaning.
It can be a sign of fatigue.
It can be a Calming Signal, a behavior used to reduce tension.
Or it can be a Socially Facilitated activity, a behavior that tends to be "contagious". Someone near you yawns, and you yawn too. Try yawning in front of your horse and see what happens!
Context: The tarp is not a new or difficult obstacle for Shiloh, but I have asked her to do it numerous times, very precisely, as we take photos.
Body Language: Several big yawns
What Shiloh might be saying: "Staying focused so long on something boring is making me tense!" Snorting is another behavior with multiple meanings. Articles on why horses snort report that it means they are excited or playful or anxious or just clearing their nose while air scenting. All are correct!

Threat or Request?

Context: I am grooming Bronzz.
Body Language: Bronzz has turned to me with ears back, showing annoyance but not threat.
What he might be saying: "Please don't use that brush." When a horse suddenly whips his head around during a grooming session, people often take it as a threat, especially if ears are pinned. What it most likely means is that you just did something that didn't feel good. The more dramatic the horse's reaction, the more likely he has already tried to say so in more subtle ways, and wasn't heard.

References: A complete list would go on for pages; this is a sampling:
Do Horses Have a Poker Face?
By Renate Larssen
Poker Face: Discrepancies in behaviour and affective states in horses during stressful handling procedures
By Keith Squibb, Kym Griffin, Rebecca Favier, Carrie Ijichi
Perceptions of Fear and Anxiety in Horses as Reported in Interviews with Equine Behaviourists
By Suzanne Rogers , Catherine Bell
Why Do Horses Snort by Michael Dehaan
Why is your horse tripping or stumbling
by Jec Aristotle Ballou